Jack Draper just dropped some pretty revealing news about his disappointing 2025 season. Turns out, a medical scan that was probably wrong convinced him to play the US Open when he really shouldn’t have.
The British star had to pull out of the tournament after just one match. He beat Federico Agustin Gomez in the first round, then had to withdraw completely.
That was it for his season.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Draper | 23 | 1,131 | 13 - 12 |
The Scan That Started It All
Draper’s arm problems first showed up during his loss to Marin Cilic at Wimbledon. The injury was bad enough that he didn’t play any tournaments between Wimbledon and the US Open.
Whether he’d even make it to New York was up in the air for weeks.
But then came that scan. In a recent interview with the Independent, Draper explained how it gave him false hope about his condition.
"I had to come back and find out what was going on. Essentially, I think I got a scan that gave me false hope, that maybe was reported wrong. I don’t regret playing [the US Open] because I’m an athlete, I want to achieve great things."
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Draper was having his best year on tour, climbing the rankings and playing some really solid tennis.
"I was in such a good place leading up to Wimbledon, with my ranking, with my tennis, that I wanted to keep pushing on. It was just unfortunate that it wasn’t something that I could push on with."
Missing the Chase
What’s really eating at Draper is watching from the sidelines while Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continue dominating the tour.
He was right in the middle of trying to close that gap.
"It’s been tough to watch because I was on a trajectory where I was trying my best to really catch those guys and do more and more with my game. There’s so many improvements I can make, physically, mentally, with my tennis."
Draper knows he’s got the foundation to compete with the very best. His defense is already elite, and his fighting spirit is pretty amazing to watch.
But he wants more.
"I can be more aggressive, I know that I’ve already got an amazing all-round game in terms of defending and my will to win, but now I think it’s about really utilising my weapons to be able to challenge, especially those two guys who are at the top of the game."
The 2025 Indian Wells champion plans to return at December’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown. It’s not exactly the comeback he was hoping for, but it’s a start.
Defending the Money Talk
Draper also had to address the elephant in the room. Players have been pushing for a bigger slice of Grand Slam revenue, plus things like better healthcare and pension contributions.
Some fans aren’t too happy about millionaire athletes asking for more money.
Draper gets it. His grandfather worked in a supermarket for 50 years, and even he’s shocked by modern prize money.
"We do earn a lot of money, I completely understand that. My granddad, he worked in a supermarket for 50 years, and sometimes he looks at my prize money and he says, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’ So I completely understand that side of things."
But according to Draper, it’s not really about the money. It’s about transparency and how the sport is run.
"There’s not been great transparency between the events and the players, and although there is a lot of money going to the players, I think it’s people outside the sport having an open mind that it’s not necessarily always the players complaining about wanting more money. Players are just advocating for positive changes because things aren’t good enough."
The real question now is whether Draper can get back to that level he was reaching before the injury hit. At 23, he’s got plenty of time.
But in tennis, momentum is everything. And losing half a season when you’re on the rise? That’s really tough to swallow.